Born from a curiosity about flags and what they represent, Japanese industrial designer Akira Yoshimura has embarked on a project to reinterpret the flags of countries from around the world and render them in three-dimensional solid bronze.
For the project, titled View Point, Yoshimura collaborated with Sanomasa Manufacturing, a Toyama prefecture-based company that offered a high level of manufacturing expertise, craftsmanship and history. At its essence, the project is an investigation into how our perception of familiar symbols – and the places they represent – are altered by offering new vantage points.
Yoshimura grew up in Yokohama but came to New York to attend art school and is currently based in NYC. By designing uncommon solutions to common problems, the designer “aims to promote conversation and interaction between people and the objects they use.”
Yoshimura collaborated the artisans of Sanomasa Manufacturing, who meticulously cast each piece in bronze using a method known as “lost wax.” They chose to retain the rich characteristic texture of the casting process to honor their craft. The designer is preparing to make the pieces available for sale later this year. You can follow him on Instagram for updates.
April 25, 2021 at 7:24 am
Normally I don’t question artists but his decision to leave the star field flat/blank is puzzling to me. It seems like there should be something there.